Taylor’s Heroes

David Taylor Miller would have been 21 years old on Veterans Day, 11/11/11.

The graduate of Saratoga Springs High School enlisted in the Army during his senior year. He was killed in Afghanistan in a suicide bomb attack on June 21, 2010, and buried with full military honors more than a month later in Arlington National Cemetery. He received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.

This week, his and his mother’s name appeared on a quilt donated to the state Military Museum on Lake Avenue.

Now, Miller’s mother, Leslie, and aunt, Suzanne D’Iorio, have organized a debut event to support Taylor’s Heroes, a non-profit group they created that aims to introduce children to non-competitive sports, exercise and nutrition.

Like many children these days, Miller had struggled with his weight. Despite his efforts, he often carried an extra 30 pounds, D’Iorio said. He shed the extra pounds to join the Army; lost more in basic training and reached near total fitness in Afghanistan, his aunt said. “He was never happier.”

The first event to raise money for Taylor’s Heroes will be a Friday night rock-n-roll party that will take place at 7 p.m. on his birthday, Veterans Day, in Universal Preservation Hall. The fundraiser will feature the band City Rhythm, food, a silent auction, guitar hero station, photography and a cash bar. Money raised from sponsors will go toward recreational and nutritional programs for children.

“Our hope is that Taylor’s Heroes will become a well recognized name in the community, synonymous with health and fitness,” D’Iorio said. ”If we can accomplish this, Taylor will have a true legacy that he would have been so very proud of.”

“The mission of the fundraiser is to raise enough money to start rolling out programs for children this spring,” D’Iorio said. “The idea is to get kids to try as many different types of sports as possible such as basketball, yoga, cycling, running or weight lifting, with the hope that one will find it’s way into their hearts and stick. Experimentation in a non-conpetitive setting, coupled with nutritional education, could have an impact on a child that may have otherwise opted-out otherwise.”

For more information, contact D’Iorio at 894-1658. Tickets will be available at the door.